Action for stringed musical instruments.



No. 719,641. I PATEN'I'ED FEB. a, 1903.

P. at L. F. BOYD. ACTION ron-smmenn MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATIOI FILED KAY 6. 1902. I0 IODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID P. BOYD AND LEANDER F. BOYD, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

ACTION FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,641, d t d February3, 1903. Application filed May 6, 1902- Serial No. 106,165. INdmodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DAVID P. BOYD and LEANDER F. BOYD, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and Stateof'Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Actionsfor Stringed Musical Instruments; and we do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Ourinvention relates to a piano-action, and is designed to provide acheap, simple, durable, and eifective keyboard and action'to be appliedto and used in connection with instruments of the type known as theautoharp.

Our invention consists more particularly in the details of constructionhereinafter described, and shown and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional elevationof our action, showing the parts in their normal position ready for use;Fig. 2, the same, showing the key depressed, the hammer caught on itsrebound and held from contact with the string by the back-stop, and Thedamper elevated; and Fig. 3 is the same, showing the sustaining-rail,hereinafter referred to, in operative position.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In the drawings, 1 is a hammer and keyrail notched at top at suitableintervals, as at 2, and at bottom, as at 3. In the'notches 2 arepivoted, as at 4, the keys 5. In the notches 3 are pivoted, as at 6, abar 7, one end of which forms a hammer 8 and the other end of whichforms a damper 9, faced with felt 10. In the top of the bar 7, justforward of the pivot 6, is a pin 11, which is engaged by one end of anelastic rubber band 12, the opposite end of the band being in engagementwith a pin 13, projecting from a bar 14, which forms part of the frameof the action. The pull of the elastic rubber band 12 holds the hammer 8normally elevated and the damper 9 10 normally depressed onto the string15, as shown in Fig. 1.

16 is a jack-rail notched at proper intervals, as at 17.. In the notchesof the jack-rail are pivoted, as at 18, the jacks 19. The jack consistsof a flat bar 19, having at its upper pivoted end a shoulder 20, whichis faced with felt. Secured to the underside of the key 5 is a screw-eye21, the loop of which projects down intothe slot or notch 17 and restsupon the shoulder of the jack. The screweye may be screwed into and outof the key, and the screw-eye may also be turned sidewise, so that it isin contact with both sides of the notch or slot 17. Thus the properadjustment of the eye may be obtained and lateral motion of the keyprevented. Over the free end of the jack 19 is stretched a small stoutelastic rubber band, which by its re- 1 siliency retains its place atany point at which it may be placed, thus providing for simple quickaccurate adjustment. The band 21 serves as a back-stop and when properlyadjusted will invariably catch the end of the hammer on its rebound fromthe string, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and will prevent the hammerfromtouching the string or interfering with its vibration until a new blowis delivered upon the key.

A sustaining-bar 22 extends the length of the keyboard and at each endis pivotally supported, as at 23, upon bent levers 24:. These leverscarry a bar 25, which extends the length of the keyboard and is withinconvenient reach of either hand of the player. The bar 22 is providedwith a spring 26, which holds the bar normally retracted against thestop 27 and out'of contact'with the jacks 19.

The operation of our device is as follows: The key and hammer-rail, thejack-rail, and the sustaining-bar being suitably supported at their endsupon the stringed instrument in such a manner that the several keys,hammers, and dampers lie directly above their appropriate strings, ifnow a key be struck the screw-eye pressing down upon the shoulder of thejack 19 will throwthe jack into the position shown in Fig. 2. The end ofthe hammer-bar resting against and sliding upon the ICO inclined loweredge of the jack is caused by the movement of the key and jack todeliver a downward blow to the string. At the rebound of the hammer itis caught by the backstop 21 and held against touching the string. Whenthe finger is removed from the key, the rubber band 12, pulling upwardlyupon the bar 7, lifts the hammer, the jack, and the key into normalposition and at the same time forces the damper 9 10 down upon thestring, stopping its vibration. Should the performer desire to sustainor prolong the notes, the bar 25 is pressed downwardly, which may bereadily and conveniently accomplished with a tinger, thumb, or ball ofeither hand, thus throwing the bar 22 against the upper inclined edgesof the jacks and pressing the jacks downwardly into the positionindicated in Fig. 3. All the dampers and hammers will now be held oifthe strings until the bar 25 is released, when the spring 26 willrestore the bar 22 to its normal position, and the several dampers,hammers, jacks, and keys will by their respective springs 12 be restoredto their normal position.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In a piano-action, a bar having at one end a hammer and at its otherend a damper, pivotal supports for the bar between its ends, means forholding the damper normally in engagement with its string and the hammeraway from the string, a key, and connections intermediate the key andthe hammer-bar.

2. In a piano-action, a bar which carries at one end a hammer and at itsother end a damper, a pivotal support for the bar, means for actuatingthe bar, and means for holding the damper normallyagainst andthehammer'normally away from the string, which means comprise an elasticmember, such as an india-rubber band, secured at one end to the bar andat its other end to a fixed member of the instrument.

3. In a piano-action, a jack-bar pivotally supported at one end, ahammer-bar which abuts against and slides upon the jack-bar, a back-stopupon the end of the jack-bar opposite the pivoted end, and means foractuating said jack-bar.

4. In a piano-action, a jack comprising a bar pivotally supported at oneend, a backstop at the opposite end of the bar consisting of anindia-rubber band, and a shoulder upon the bar at its pivoted end, theface of which shoulder is disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinalline of the jack-bar.

5. In a piano-action, a notched jack-rail, jacks pivoted in the notchesof the jack-rail, hammers engaged and actuated by the jacks, keys,screw-eyes engaged with the keys and having their eyes disposed in thenotches of the jack-bar and in contact with the jacks.

6. In a piano-action, a series of bars pivotally supported between theirends and having at one end ahammer and at the opposite end a damper,means for holding the hammers normally elevated and the dampers normallydepressed, jacks and keys which actuate said hammer and damper-bars, anda pivotallysupported normally-retracted sustaining-bar adapted andarranged to be moved into the path of the jacks, whereby said hammersand dampers may be held out of contact with the strings of theinstrument.

7. A piano-action comprising a frame, a series of bars pivotallysupported in the frame and having at one end a hammer and at the otherend a damper, springs which hold the hammers normally elevated and thedampers normally depressed, jacks pivoted at one end in the frame andcarrying at their opposite ends back-stops, shoulders on thejacks, keyspivotally mounted in the frame, screw-eyes engaged with the keys and incontact with the shoulders of the jacks, and a sustainingbar adapted andarranged to engage the jacks and to hold both hammers and dampers oflthe strings.

- In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

DAVID P. BOYD. LEANDER F. BOYD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. CHITTENDEN, ALMON HALL.

